Shoplifting from Walmart

She almost had withdrawl, and didn't know what she was going to do without wal-mart
 
Don't take their shit. They are legally entitled to attempt to detain you. However, you have a right to self defense, and if an employee were to use force on a person suspected of shoplifting, that person might reasonably assume they were being attacked and use any necessary means to protect themselves (wink wink.)

You don't have to stop for anyone. If you get away with the merchandise and they can't prove anything, YOU WIN.
 
plutoniumboss said:
Don't take their shit. They are legally entitled to attempt to detain you. However, you have a right to self defense, and if an employee were to use force on a person suspected of shoplifting, that person might reasonably assume they were being attacked and use any necessary means to protect themselves (wink wink.)

You don't have to stop for anyone. If you get away with the merchandise and they can't prove anything, YOU WIN.

What is this, bad advice day from plutoniumboss? This makes two posts in one night.

Store personnel can use reasonable force to detain you if they see you steal and you leave the store. Yes, if they overreact, they will be liable - it would be the rare case where they could punch or even tackle a shoplifter. But don't underestimate them. They will grab you and hold you, and you could end up on the ground very quickly if you resist. If you're clean, you could have a lawsuit. But if you have the goods on you, good luck getting any compensation if you put up resistance and you get hurt. These are low-paid, poorly-trained employees and they are unpredictable. If you are not capable of taking them out, you could get an eye full of pepper, joint damage, broken bones, or whatever this employee is capable of dishing out when in panic mode. And if you hurt them when you have the goods on you and they used a reasonable escalation of force, expect THEM to sue YOU.
 
Last edited:
frizzantik said:
^ i don't think that is true as most states in the US have provisions for things like a "citizen's arrest" which allow non-police to arrest or at least detain until police arrive an individual who has been witnessed committing a crime.

I have a friend who works in LP and they rarely stop anyone until they actually leave the store. once they do leave the store they do detain them, with force if necessary
At which point you could give them a choice. Tell them that yes, they can detain you there at their own risk. If, when the police get there, they find stolen property on you, they can charge you. If they don't find stolen property on you, or find definitive proof that you committed a crime, you will be charging them (the LP personnel). You can add that you will also be sure to follow through with those charges all the way to the point of making sure that it would be hard(er) for them to get a resource protection job in that city again, or that they could possibly face some financial liabilities themselves. Of course, it helps if you really don't have any unpaid for goods on you at the time or did not commit a crime. In any event, giving them options works much better than threats or fists.
 
Not to mention if you are detained in the process of shoplifting, and then you assault one of the persons detaining you it becomes a robbery, in Texas. Thus making it an aggravated charge.
 
special apprehension devises be warned

[Sorry, not productive.]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Top